


Say what you want

by aces_low



Series: drabbles and ish [12]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Unrequited Crush, silly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 06:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10985391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aces_low/pseuds/aces_low
Summary: Luz finally admits some big secrets he's been carrying for years. Only because Joe can't hear any of it.





	Say what you want

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt 'Admitting love while they think the person they’re talking to can’t hear them"

Luz is bored. He should be studying for finals, but he’s done looking at books and computer screens and thinking about…things.

So, instead of continuing to work he decides to go do his favorite thing in the world, bother Joe Toye. 

It’s not even really his fault, Joe and Bill leave their apartment unlocked constantly, it’s basically an open invitation for Luz to come in whenever he wants. So that’s exactly what he does.

He calls out to Joe and Bill as he opens the door, but there’s no response. He’s assuming Bill is out, otherwise he’d be yelling right back.

Joe is sitting in the corner at the desk he has set up there, facing the window. He’s got his noise cancelling headphones on and is hunched over several textbooks and notebooks, scribbling away. Luz sighs, Joe is never any fun when he’s studying, he rarely takes breaks and when he does he’s just extra grouchy, probably because he’s just thinking about studying some more.

Luz calls out his name again, but Joe doesn’t react. He usually blares some classical music through those noise cancelling headphones and tells them that he really can’t hear anything going on around him.

He calls Joe’s name a couple more times, but it seems like he really doesn’t hear him, so he sighs, throwing himself on the couch and turning on the TV. There’s no way he’s going to go over and tap him on the shoulder. Catching Joe off guard is never a smart thing to do, he’s too fast and too strong, that he’ll have you down on the ground before he can even realize that you’re not actually a threat. So, Luz keeps a safe distance.

After just a few minutes he gets restless again, looking over at Joe who still hasn’t seemed to notice that there’s another human being sitting in the same room as him.

Luz isn’t sure if he’s convinced that those headphones work that well, sometimes he thinks Joe just likes to pretend that he can’t hear any of his friends so that they’ll eventually just give up and go away.

“Joe, can you hear me?”

There’s no reaction.

“Hey, Joe, you know how you are always misplacing your lighter and now you finally lost it last week? Well, funny story, I actually steal your lighter like…all the time. Only, this time, I lost it. Which is why I didn’t put it back in a random spot, making you think you’re losing your mind.”

Joe still doesn’t acknowledge him.

“I’m also the one that steals your fruit all the time,” Luz tells him. Joe is always blaming Bill or Malarkey for the fruit running out, or on an animal that breaks into the apartment exclusively so it can steal only the fruit and nothing else, but it’s really always Luz. Joe is the only college guy he knows that buys fruit, so whenever Luz is over and sees some, he has to take it to at least feel like he’s being a little healthy.

Still no response from Joe.

This is starting to get fun for Luz, he feels like he’s at confessional, without all the judgment and consequences. So, he stands up and starts pacing, thinking of all the ways he’s frustrated Joe in the past, without Joe realizing it was ever him.

“Let’s see…oh, I’ve stolen like…at least six pairs of your socks. I don’t know why, but you buy the best kind. I lied when I told you that I love Nina Simone, I think I’ve listened to maybe one of her songs. I’m the one that stole all your hair gel that one time, but it’s just ‘cause I wanted to see your real hair for once. I’ve been in love with you since Freshman year. I once used your toothbrush when-“ he cuts off as he circles back around coming face to face with Toye, who is looking at him wide eyed as he slowly removes his headphones.

“Oh.”

“What’d you just say?” Joe asks.

“C’mon Joe, it was like three years ago. If you haven’t gotten a new toothbrush by now we need to have a discussion about your dental hygiene.”

“No, before that.”

Luz runs through the confessions he just made and his stomach sinks as realizes what he’s just admitted.

“Uh…about taking your hair gel?” he tries, hoping by some miracle Joe just missed the declaration between them.

“Did you just say that you’ve been in love with me since Freshman year?”

“I-no…I-I didn’t mean…”

Joe is just staring at him as he fades off, not really able to deny it, but unable to say it again, knowing Joe’s listening now.

“When were you gonna tell me?” Joe asks.

“Well, Joe, the original plan had been to be buried with that particular piece of information, so…”

He had fallen hard for Joe pretty quickly after meeting him, at about the same time he had realized that he’d also only ever just be the obnoxious guy that Joe barely tolerated. Luz isn’t anywhere near Joe’s league, he came to that conclusion a long time ago, it’s just a fact to him now. Like his height or his ability to mimic most of his friend’s voices, he is not Joe Toye’s type.

“Why?” Joe asks, and his calm, simple questions are really starting to get agitating.

“Why what?” Luz really hopes Joe isn’t going to ask him to stand here and tell him all the reasons why he loves him.

“Why weren’t you gonna tell me?”

“Why would I tell you that?”

Joe shrugs. “Usually when you love someone you tell ‘em.”

“It’s different.”

“How?”

Luz sighs. “Well, usually you tell someone you love them when…ya know…the other person could maybe love you back.”

“Oh,” is Joe’s eloquent response.

“Yeah, so…I’m just gonna go home, bury my head in the ground, and hope the apocalypse takes us all within the next 24 hours.”

“Wait,” Joe stops him as he takes a step toward the door. He stands and reaches out to grab Luz’s arm.

“Joe, it’s ok,” he tells him, but let’s Joe pull him back anyway. “I’m not exactly your type.”

“I didn’t know I had a type.”

“Sure you do. Beautiful, messed up people with nice hair.”

Joe seems to think about that for a moment, then nods his head, clearly remembering his past relationships and how every single one of them fit that bill.

“You have nice hair,” Joe says then, pulling Luz back a few more steps from the door.

“I…what?” Luz is confused, not really sure what Joe is wanting from him here.

“I never thought that you, George Luz, would ever be too nervous to tell someone that you wanted something.”

Luz snorts. “Right, cause I’m just supposed to say, ‘hey, Joe, I wanna date you, so let’s go out tomorrow night.’?”

“Ok, but make it Friday, I’ve gotta finish a paper tomorrow night,” Joe says, then sits back down at his desk.

“Wait, what just happened?”

“You told me that you loved me, and then you asked me out on a date. And I said yes,” Joe tells him, picking up his headphones.

Luz struggles to speak for a few seconds before his mind wraps around what Joe just did, and a smile spreads across his face.

“Right. Friday, right.”

“Friday,” Joe agrees. The headphones are back on now.

“Then I’ll…I’ll see you Friday,” Luz says, tripping his way over to the door. He’s gotta go home and do a victory dance or something.

“Oh, and Luz? Listen to some Nina Simone. One song? That’s ridiculous.”

Luz rolls his eyes, but his smile keeps growing.

“Yeah, I’ll get right on it, Joe.”


End file.
